The Epics of Celtic Ireland

Ancient Tales of Mystery and Magic

Jean Markale

239 Pages, ISBN 978 0 89281 815 0     
Published by Inner Traditions, 2000     


Some of the most powerfully moving tales in Western literature are to be found in the epics of Celtic Ireland. Heroes and heroines like Finn Mac Cool, Grainne, and Cuchulainn are now familiar names, and their exploits have even been novelized for the contemporary reader. But the value of these stories extends far beyond mere entertainment. In Celtic myth the adventure of a hero and a warrior is not only an instinctive search for answers to the great human metaphysical problems, but also a palpable, even sensual experience. The dividing line between sacred and profane is forever shifting in ways that can be shocking, if not incomprehensible, to a person accustomed to the logical systems based on classical thought.
Distrustful of the written word, Celtic druids forbade anything involving their tradition from being put into writing. However, Christian monks chose to preserve all they could of the oral tradition on paper. Unfortunately, they did not hesitate to alter what they couldn't comprehend, or what their Christian sensibilities found shocking. In this collection of some of the most important narratives in the rich Irish tradition, Jean Markale restores these texts to their original form and reveals how the Celtic spirit is on the verge of reclaiming its rights.

Jean Markale (1928-2008), poet, philosopher, historian, and storyteller, was a specialist in Celtic studies at the Sorbonne. He wrote more than forty books about Celtic civilization, particulary the place of women in Celtic culture, including Women of the Celts and Cathedral of the Black Madonna.


(The text above comes from the back of the book)     

Contents of this book:

The Mythological Cycle

  • The Story of Tuan Mac Carill
  • The Battle of Mag Tured
  • The Fate of the Sons of Tuirenn
  • The Voyage of Bran
  • The Two Swineherds
  • The Flood of Lough Neagh
  • The Courtship of Etaine
  • The Dream of Oengus
  • Frâech and Finnabair

The Ulster Cycle

  • The Malady of the Ulates
  • The Birth of Conchobar
  • The Kingship of Conchobar
  • The Siege of Dun Etair
  • The Story of Deirdre
  • The Courtship of Luaine
  • The Death of Conchobar
  • The Death of Cet, Son of Maga
  • The Death of the Sons of Conchobar
  • The Adventures of Nera
  • The Death of Fergus

The Cuchulainn Cycle

  • The Birth of Cuchulainn
  • Cuchulainn's Childhood
  • Cuchulainn's Education
  • Tain Bô Cualngé
  • The Story of Derbforgaille
  • The Feast of Bricriu
  • The Drunkenness of the Ulates
  • Cuchulainn's Malady
  • The Death of Curoi Mac Daire
  • The Death of Cuchulainn

The Finn Cycle

  • Finn's Childhood
  • Finn and the Phantoms
  • The Pursuit of Gilla the Tough One
  • Diarmaid and Grainne
  • The Death of Finn
  • The Story of Mongan

The Cycle of the Kings

  • The Prophetic Ecstasy of the Phantom
  • The Destruction of the Inn of Da Derga
  • The Disappearance of Condle
  • The Adventures of Art, Son of Conn
  • The Siege of Druim Damhgaire
  • The Tragic Death of Muirchertach
  • Suibhne's Folly
  • The Voyage of Mealduin


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